Caroline Wozniacki on Fame, Fashion, Football and Wimbledon

Caroline Wozniacki has a major dilemma looming and the clue is in the fact that she is playing keepy-uppy with the official World Cup football in an East End back street in London on the eve of her defence of the Eastbourne grass court championships.

The 19-year-old world number three is talking about playing at Wimbledon, where she stands a decent chance of venturing well into the second week if not actually winning the title, but is concerned - very concerned - about her games clashing with Denmark playing in the World Cup.

"What should I do about it?" she asks. "Do you think they'd change my court times if I'm scheduled to play at the same time as Denmark?" She thinks about this for a second and then realises this is, after all, the All England Lawn Tennis Club. "No, they wouldn't, would they? I mean, I've heard they're not even allowing TV sets with the World Cup in the grounds during the fortnight of the tournament."

What is a football-mad tennis star to do? "I guess I'll just have to record the Denmark games and then watch them as soon as I've got off court as they are live," she decides. "I'll also tell all my friends not to tell me the score." Then she changes her mind. "Actually, if they don't tell me I'll think it's bad news. I wonder if there's a way of getting updates while I play?"

This Danish football fan - she is friends with both Arsenal striker Niklas Bendtner and Stoke goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen - seems to know everything about the World Cup and can more than hold her own with any English sports writer. "It will be tough for Denmark because they have Holland, Cameroon and Japan in their group," she argues. "I think Holland will be favourites and it may boil down to the game against Camerron to see who also qualifies. We have a chance against Holland, though, because we play them first and may catch them cold but, then again, Holland won their last warm-up game 6-1 so they seem pretty hot. I think, ultimately, the World Cup's between Spain and Argentina, although England have a chance because, in Steven Gerrard, they have one of the best players in the world and with Rio out he'll be a great captain for his country."

Now she is getting biased because her favourite football club is Liverpool ("OK, OK, I know the season was bad but we'll be back next season") and her two favourite players are Torres, who presented her with a signed Liverpool shirt, and Gerrard. "Of course England also have Jamie Carragher and Glen Johnson so they should be pretty good, shouldn't they?"

The thing is, as the pretty Dane from Polish parents is quick to admit, tennis is her sport, but football is her passion. This may be because her father, Piotr, was a professional footballer in Poland, Germany and Denmark and her brother, Patrik, currently plays football for the Danish league side BK Frem. "Denmark has a good women's football team and if I'd started to play football seriously at seven years of age like I did with tennis I reckon I could have ended up playing football for a liviing. As it is I love watching men's football. When I was in Los Angeles last year I went to watch the Galaxy train and met David Beckham. He seems very nice."

She also likes steak and chip, cars, "Top Gear" and wearing track-suits when she can get away with it. "Yeah, I know, I'm a frustrated boy in a girl's body," she concedes.

Except, of course, she is most definitely female, which is why Stella McCartney chose Wozniacki to wear her tennis clothes, the latest in the McCartney line to be revealed at Wimbledon soon. And while she will never play for Liverpool at Anfield she's not doing too badly on a tennis court. "It's going OK," she says. "But it could always be better."

Let's explore that last comment. Wozniacki is not 20 until July 11th, "the day of the World Cup final," as she quickly points out." Already she has made it to the world number 3, having been number 2 in March until an ankle injury and a few disappointing displays as a result lost her a place. She won the junior Wimbledon title in 2006 and, last September, lost in the US Open final to the returning Kim Clijsters, her first Grand Slam final. She has already won well over $3 million in prize money alone and seven WTA titles.

"Yeah, I know it's been pretty good and the rankings and the Slam final came quite early, but I won't even begin to be satisfied until I reach world number one ranking or start winning Grand Slam titles. I know I can get there. I've just got to keep on doing what I'm doing. I'm only 19 so it's a fact I'll be better when I'm 20 and better still when I'm 21. My Dad always says to me: "You're world number three, how can you be upset at your age.?" He's right, of course, but I have no intention of making this my peak."

The likely pin-up girl of this year's Wimbledon is charming company. She is bright, pretty, and very bubbly, too, but beneath this sponsor's dream of an exterior is a tough cookie, for sure. Part of it must come from her family. Anna, her mother, was an international volleyball star while her retired footballer father acts as her coach. "My parents and my brother know what it's like to be a sportsperson and they understand how difficult it can be. Dad pushes me hard sometimes - although no harder than I push myself - but he's also good at getting the balance right and is also full of praise and compliments me a lot. He knows I don't like false praise in any case. To win Slams or to get to number one you can never be satisfied, so we go on looking to improve all the time. He used to be a striker and did his research on opposing centre backs. Now we analyse my opponents' strengths and weaknesses, although we focus much more on my strenghts than my opponent. The plan is, whatever my opponent's strengths may be, is to make her play the game I want her to play."  
       
Her star has been on the rise for quite some time. From the age of ten she has been known as the "Little Princess" back in Denmark because she was already making the news with her prodigious talent with a racquet in her hand. "It means that in Denmark I can't really go anywhere without being photographed which can be frustrating sometimes because I'd like to throw on a track suit but always have to dress up so that people don't comment on why my shoes don't match with my top. That's why I like coming to England because I can walk down the street and few people know who I am."

Not yet, although it could all change this summer, starting in Eastbourne this week, before moving on to London's SW18. "Grass is my favourite surface and I just wish the grass season was longer than a few weeks every year," Wozniacki says. "Eastbourne is special to me because I've been playing there for nine years, won a few junior titles there and then won my first senior title on grass there last year. It's the best way to prepare for Wimbledon."

As for Wimbledon itself this piano-playing star, who is also taking singing lessons and can speak fluent Danish, Polish, English and Russian, could go all the way. "You'd have to say that the Williams sisters will be the favourites but, after that, it's very, very open," she insists. "Just look at the French Open to see how anyone could win. I made it to the fourth round last year but this time expect to go much further. I've won the junior title there so know the place well, and I love playing in big matches.

"I first really noticed this in the US Open final last September against Kim. There I was, playing in the biggest game of my life inside the biggest tennis stadium in the world in front of 23,000 fans and I remember midway through the game wondering why I didn't feel at all nervous. On the day Kim was better than me but I learnt a lot that day, will not be fazed the next time I'm in a Slam final and will try my hardest to take the opportunity. You need to play seven great matches to win a Grand Slam but I believe in myself and that means I believe I can win Wimbledon."

If she does it will be the start

of what she dreams of being the perfect week. "A Wimbledon title on July 3rd, then Denmark to win the World Cup on my 20th birthday, on July 11th, beating England 4-3 with Gerrard scoring a hat-trick," she announces, with a broad grin.
Caroline Wozniacki wants the world, it appears. There is every chance she may well get it.